- Samarai Advanced Seaplane Base
Samarai Advanced Seaplane Base was a
US Navy seaplane base atSamarai Island ,Papua New Guinea duringWorld War II .The advanced seaplane base was built by a detachment of the
84th Naval Construction Battalion (Seabees ) with help from members ofUSS San Pablo (AVP-30) , aseaplane tender . The base was built within 42 days and included a convert|50|ft|m ramp, small hanger, ft2 to m2|40000 apron, barrack accommodation for 270 men and four 1,000 barrel aviation fuel tanks.The seaplane tenders sailors worked around the clock to fuel, repair, arm, control the seaplanes, feed and care for the
PBY Catalina crews.Operations from the base included attacking enemy shipping along the coasts of
New Guinea ,New Britain ,New Ireland , and theBismarck Sea . Heavy losses were inflicted uponImperial Japanese inter-island barge traffic and shipping. The aircraft harassed enemy troops with night bombing and strafing missions, conducted photo intelligence operations, provided air-sea search and rescue support for downed allied pilots and sailors of sunken vessels. They also transported high ranking officers, friendly coast watchers, and native guerrilla units.The seaplane base appears to have been abandoned in
May 1944 .Units Based at Samari Advanced Seaplane Base
*Patrol Squadron Thirty Three (VP-33),
Fleet Air Wing 17 (PBY Catalina )
*Patrol Squadron Thirty Four (VP-34),Fleet Air Wing 17 (PBY Catalina )
*Patrol Squadron One Hundred One (VP-101),Fleet Air Wing 17 (PBY Catalina )
*USS San Pablo (AVP-30) (Seaplane tender )
*USS Half Moon (AVP-26) (Seaplane tender )
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